Forensic psychiatric nursing: a literature review and thematic analysis of staff-patient interaction.

In Denmark the increasing number of forensic mental health patients has led to prioritized services, including the area of nursing; however, this field is subject to sparse research. The aim of this study was to review existing research literature and in doing so investigate what characterizes forensic mental health staff interaction with forensic mental health inpatients and furthermore to investigate what significance these staff characteristics have for the inpatients. The literature review spans the period September 1997 to January 2009 and was based on a systematic keyword combination search in the following databases: CINAHL, CSB, PsycINFO, Scopus, Pubmed, MEDLINE and Sociological Abstracts. The articles were categorized using a literature matrix and analysed using content analysis. Seventeen quantitative and qualitative research studies were analysed. The results show that the interaction between forensic staff and forensic inpatients is characterized by two overriding themes: parentalistic & behaviour-changing care and relational & personal quality-dependent care. Only a few of the findings represent a clear account of how the interactional characteristics impact on the forensic inpatient. The conclusion is that no clear account of the patient impact issue can be reached at this point and that further investigation needs to take place.

Comparison of an individual systematic interview method and the oral health impact profile. Responsiveness and ability of describing treatment effect of oral rehabilitation.

The Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life - Direct Weighting (SEIQoL-DW) has shown potential for generating information and measuring Oral Health-Related Quality of Life (OHRQoL) in oral rehabilitation. The Oral Health Impact Profile-49 (OHIP-49) has been widely used in population studies. The purpose of this study was to compare the responsiveness and ability of the SEIQoL-DW and the OHIP-49 to qualitatively describe the change following oral rehabilitation. Twenty-two participants treated with fixed or removable prosthesis were interviewed before and after treatment using the SEIQoL-DW and the OHIP-49 questionnaire. The participants rated the subjective perception of change and answered two global oral rating questions. A clinical examination was performed to identify dental status variables. No significant difference was found between pre- and post-treatment SEIQoL-DW scores. A significant difference between pre- and post-treatment OHIP-49 scores was found. The SEIQoL-DW and OHIP-49 change scores was significantly correlated. The dental status variables such as number of teeth, number of teeth replaced, number of occluding units, type of treatment, extractions and removable dental prosthesis (RDP) before treatment did not influence the change scores. The effect size was low for the SEIQoL-DW (0.15) and moderate for the OHIP-49 (0.60). Improvement in subjective perception of change was related to both improvement and deterioration in change scores. More aspects were mentioned in the SEIQoL-DW compared to the OHIP-49. Based on the change in overall score and effect size, the SEIQoL-DW showed a weaker responsiveness than the OHIP-49. The SEIQoL-DW, however, described the change more detailed than the OHIP-49.

Patient-generated aspects in oral rehabilitation decision making I. Comparison of traditional history taking and an individual systematic interview method.

Decision making in oral rehabilitation is often based on diagnoses related to impairment of different oral functions. In making the decision when to treat, the dentist must work in cooperation with the patient. By incorporating patient-generated aspects into the decision making process, the dentist finds it easier to decide if and why treatment should be undertaken and what treatment modality to use. The purpose of this study was to describe the potential of an interview method, the 'Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life-Direct Weighting' (SEIQoL-DW), and compare it with a traditional history taking, in generating information to be used in decision making in oral rehabilitation. Fifty-seven participants in need of oral rehabilitation were enrolled in the study. The participants underwent a traditional history taking and were interviewed using the SEIQoL-DW method. The SEIQoL-DW generated a high number of cues for all participants. Significantly more cues and additional information were generated by the SEIQoL-DW than by the traditional history taking. The additional information concerned consultation and dentist issues, psychological aspects and treatment preferences. A high percentage of the participants were positive towards the use of the SEIQoL-DW method in their treatment planning. The SEIQoL-DW was considered to be a viable tool for decision making in oral rehabilitation.

A method for assessment of quality of life in relation to prosthodontics. Partial edentulism and removable partial dentures.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the possible use in prosthodontics of a method for an interview technique allowing maximal individuality within the cultural boundaries. The impact of partial edentulism and removable partial denture (RPD) wearing on quality of life was chosen as the target question. The interview included patient generated selection of five quality of life cues. The current status/intensity of each cue was measured by use of a Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), the relative weight/importance between the cues by a direct-weighting (DW) instrument, and a summarized quality of life score was calculated. One hundred and one participants with partial edentulism with or without RPDs were included in the study. No correlation was found between the VAS- and DW-scores, indicating that different aspects are measured with these two instruments. Sixty to seventy per cent of the participants answered positively to questions about the test method, including self-knowledge, consciousness and identification of needs and wishes. The 'Schedule for the Evaluation of Individual Quality of Life - Direct Weighting' turned out to be a useful instrument for assessing patients' priorities, and fulfils in many ways the demands for individualized problem identification, decision-making and treatment planning. The results of the comparison of RPD wearers and non-RPD wearers showed that aesthetics is a major factor and that the overall quality of life between the experienced RPD wearers and non-RPD wearers in this study did not differ significantly.

Nurses' attitudes to the use of alternative medicine in cancer patients.

This study reports results from a questionnaire study on nurses' attitudes to and experiences with alternative medicine, especially related to cancer patients' use of alternative medicine. Sixty nurses from a department of oncology and haematology participated in the study. The response rate was 62%. The nurses primarily perceived the use of alternative medicine as an individual choice which the nurses wanted to support. Sixty-three percent of the nurses indicated that alternative medicine could be useful in the treatment of cancer patients, 32% would sometimes suggest alternative medicine to the patients, and 20% used alternative medicine in their nursing. One-third of the nurses had experienced conflict in connection with alternative medicine and their patients, mostly when established treatment was delayed or refused in favour of alternative medicine. Fifty-three percent of the nurses had tried alternative medicine themselves. This study reveals that nurses are in an ambiguous and complex situation: they are simultaneously professionals in the established health care system, caregivers supporting the patients, and individuals using alternative medicine.

[Women's experience of chorionic villi biopsy and its significance for the course of pregnancy. A qualitative study]. / Kvinders oplevelse af chorion villus biopsi og dens betydning for graviditetsforløbet. En kvalitativ undersøgelse.

Twenty-nine pregnant women and their families were questioned about how they experienced chorion villus biopsy in order to illustrate the significance of the test for the pregnancy. Semistructured interviews were carried out immediately after the test, one week later when the result was available and at ultrasonic scanning at the 18th-20th weeks of pregnancy, and these results form the basis for this study. One woman had a foetus with Down's syndrome. The remaining foetuses had normal chromosomes. The main interpretation of early foetal diagnosis and of a living foetus was positive. For the pregnant woman and her family, the main advantages were that the time of waiting for the result was reduced (as compared to the waiting time following amniocentesis) the psychological relief that the investigation can be performed early in pregnancy and that a possible termination could take place under full anaesthesia.